SwedishLapland PRESS INFORMATION
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P R E S S I N F O R M AT I O N
SwedishLapland
Photo: Cody Duncan
1
Photo: Markus Alatalo
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What is Swedish Lapland?
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swedish lapland is an international destination of Sweden that borders two countries and this has ge
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for visitors from all over the world and one of only influenced the region greatly. sk
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seven places in the world where you can experience Internationally Lapland is a concept used to
the Arctic. Swedish Lapland offers places to visit describe all of northern Scandinavia. It is an old name
that you can’t find anywhere else in Sweden, Europe for Sápmi, the traditional land for the Sámi people
or the world. shared between Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia.
This region is home to world sensations such as the The Sámi have lived here for thousands of years,
Icehotel and Treehotel, but also genuine, authentic long before today’s countries even existed. When
and small-scale tourism with focus on people and settlers, priests and traders started arriving in Sápmi a
encounters. We invite guests from all over the world couple of hundred years ago they came across the Sámi.
to share our everyday arctic life and our way of living Since they didn’t speak the same language they simply
– close to nature, respecting it. ’made up’ completely new names for places and people
When the northern lights season is over, a period – this is the origin of the name Lapland, among others.
of never ending light and midnight sun begins. At the The Sámi themselves never changed the name of
end of the summer the circle is completed, when the the area or the people. This is Sápmi, and has always
darkness returns and the auroras can yet again be seen been. Within Swedish Lapland you’ll find experiences
dancing in the skies. designed to provide you with more knowledge about
The region features mountains, forests, marshes, Sápmi, and allow you to familiarise yourself with a
large rivers, archipelagoes and sea. It’ s the only part truly unique region.
The trademark Swedish Lapland
swedish lapland consists of several destinations We created the place trademark Swedish Lapland to
with a common place trademark. The place trademark clarify where we are, geographically speaking, to take
creates a common platform where local destinations advantage of the existing knowledge about the concept
and tourism entrepreneurs in the province Norr- Lapland and its positive associations, and to inform
botten, Skellefteå and Sorsele cooperate. Using the about the arctic lifestyle characteristic to the region.
name Swedish Lapland we distribute information This means that some local destinations are mem-
about Sweden’s arctic destination, mainly focusing on bers of Swedish Lapland even if they don’t actually
international visitors. belong to the Swedish region called Lapland.
Getting here map
Swedish Lapland
Sápmi
Swedish Lapland represents
it’s easy to get to Swedish Lapland. From Stockholm the Swedish part of the Arctic
you can catch a flight to one of our airports: Arvids- region, shared with six other
jaur, Gällivare, Kiruna, Luleå or Skellefteå. countries: USA (Alaska),
Denmark (Greenland),
The road network is well developed, with the main Norway, Finland, Russia,
roads – E4, E10 and E45 – being the natural arteries. Canada and Iceland.
The night train departs southern Sweden twice How far north is Swedish
a day, and the Inlandsbanan operates through the Lapland actually? For example:
• Whistler in Canada has the
interior of Swedish Lapland during summer. same latitude as Frankfurt
in Germany at 50° north.
• Hokkaido in Japan has the
same latitude as Rome
in Italy at 43° north.
2 3
Illustration: Lisa Wallin/Meramedia
LIGHTS IN
E RN TH
R TH E
O W
N
IN
Our destinations
TE
R
arjeplog heart of lapland piteå
Towards the mountain range and the The Torne Valley is the borderland where The coastal gem Piteå is often referred to
Norwegian border, right on the Arctic three cultures meet: Swedish, Finnish and as ’the Riviera of the North’, featuring long
Circle, there’s a mountain archipelago Sámi culture have moulded this region. Ex- sandy beaches. At Pite Havsbad you often
E ATLANTIC
TH
with nearly 9,000 lakes. There are only perience Haparanda’s archipelago with the get Sweden’s warmest water temperature
0.2 inhabitants per square kilometre, gem Seskarö, the mighty Kukkula rapids, be in summer. Piteå in summer is a vibrant
so there’s plenty of space for anglers, amazed by the original and robust Överkalix tourist city featuring charm and hospitality,
hikers and those wishing to hunt elk, dialect and the act of physically stepping giving you a festival feeling but also that
bird or some peace and quiet. Arjeplog over the Arctic Circle in Övertorneå as the fantastic sense of peace and quiet. It’s a
is a world-renowned centre for car northern lights dance above your head. town full of contrasts: archipelago, sea,
winter testing and you can tell this is Don’t forget the outstanding food, always rivers, forests and an amazing countryside.
KÖ
K
N
the case all year round: an international locally produced, and the Caviar of Kalix, the In winter there are vast expanses of white Ä
M
ÄÄ
RIV
atmosphere, great hospitality and good vendace roe with Protected Designation of and well-prepared skiing tracks, and huge ER
FI
service. Origin – a must for all gourmets. pack ice formations. You can actually go
www.swedishlapland.com/arjeplog www.heartoflapland.com skiing all year round in the skiing tunnel at
AM
the Lindbäck Stadium.
Y
NL
A
RE
arvidsjaur jokkmokk www.swedishlapland.com/pitea LAK
ST
E T
OR NETR
ÄSK
Arvidsjaur is a paradise for those Jokkmokk is a natural meeting place for Sámi F
MU
people from all over Sápmi. Since 1605 – for skellefteå L
W
ONIO R
looking for the beauty and tranquility U
AN
G
of Lapland. Go fishing for arctic charr, more than four hundred years – the colourful Skellefteå is the most southern part of KIRUNA
R
Jokkmokk market has been celebrated annu-
IVE
grayling, trout, whitefish, pike and perch Swedish Lapland. Half of the inhabitants
R
in small exclusive lakes or by rivers. Ar- ally, starting on the first Thursday in February. live in the countryside, next door to more
O
vidsjaur international airport has direct This warm celebration features cultural than a thousand lakes, five rivers, a bunch
D
flights from Stockholm all year round activities and amazing culinary experiences of nature reserves and many kilometres
N
and from several European airports right in the coldest midwinter weather. The of open coastal landscape. The other half PAJALA
in winter. Snowmobiling, dog sledding market attracts tens of thousands of interna- live in a modern city where the seamless
T
O
R
and driving on ice on world-class tracks tional visitors. You won’t be able to find these transition from city to countryside in many
N
E
RI
attract visitors from the whole world. genuine food experiences anywhere else. The ways defines the good life – with everything
VER
town is a centre for Sámi culture, with unique from cool bars to chilly winter baths. An GÄLLIVARE
KAL
www.swedishlapland.com/arvidsjaur
knowledge about the natural resources of the international winter swimming competition
IX RIVER
CLE
boden region: game meat, featuring reindeer is its is held here. In Skellefteå there are three CIR
TIC
In Boden you’re near everything. Here biggest star, berries, herbs and exclusive fish. rivers classified as high-quality wild-salmon ARC
you find small-town charm as well www.swedishlapland.com/jokkmokk waters – a concentration you won’t find any-
where else in Sweden, and it tempts fishing JOKKMOKK
as recreational areas and camping ÖVERTORNEÅ
grounds more or less in the middle kiruna enthusiasts from the entire world.
RÅN
of town. Boden – more precisely the Kiruna is special in many ways. Home to the www.swedishlapland.com/skelleftea
ARCTIC CIRC
L ÖVERKALIX
E
E R
village Harads – is also home to the largest underground iron ore mine in the
I
sorsele
V
world-famous Treehotel. A unique ac- world, that now forces the whole town to
E
R
move. The mountains here offer trekking ARJEPLOG HAPARANDA
commodation experience featuring tree Sorsele is known because of its generous
rooms with modern design in untouched along the King’s Trail under the midnight sun inhabitants and the immediate proximity to
nature. Each room is a unique creation in summer and skiing in untouched nature in the Vindel River and the Vindel Mountains, KALIX
BODEN
by some of Scandinavia’s most renown winter. This is also where you find Icehotel – where the nature reserve is one of the larg- IT
P
architects. Modern design combined the first hotel in the world built of ice and snow. est protected areas in Europe. Here you can
E
L UL
RIV
ER
LULEÅ
with forest stillness creates an immedi- You can travel by horseback or snowmobile, be accompanied by experienced guides and R
E
IV
or go dog sledding through the expanses.
ER BAY
ate feel of luxurious recreation. go looking for wild animals, such as the elu- SORSELE O
You have to visit Abisko as well – one of the sive arctic fox or the mighty golden eagle. In BOTH F
www.swedishlapland.com/boden ÄLVSBYN NI
best places in the world to see the northern ARVIDSJAUR A
Sorsele there is also an almost never-ending
VINDEL
lights. A magical show against the night sky. amount of water. Counted per person, every
gällivare municipal inhabitant has a three-kilometre PITEÅ
Gällivare is where you come across www.swedishlapland.com/kiruna
ÄRLI
plot by the water – each! You can see why
VE
UNESCO World Heritage Site Laponia,
N
R
which includes the national parks Sarek, luleå sustainable fishing is popular and well loved
Padjelanta, Stora Sjöfallet and Muddus, Luleå is the largest city in Swedish Lapland. in Sorsele.
SK
and also parts of Sjaunja and Stubba Luleå has a lot to offer tourists and visitors www.swedishlapland.com/sorsele
EL
ARCHIPELAGO
LE
nature reserves. Just a few kilometres from the entire world. There is shopping,
F
E
T
älvsbyn
RI
from the city centre is mount Dundret, entertainment and a number of White-Guide VE
R
easily accessible and ideal for both restaurants, but also close proximity to Älvsbyn is sometimes called the gem of
family experiences and extreme adven-
tures – all year round. Here you’ll find
archipelago, rivers and a vast forested area.
How about taking an exciting tour across the
North Bothnia. Evidence for this expres-
sion goes back to 1930 and refers to the SW SKELLEFTEÅ
ED
marked trails for hiking and biking pack ice in winter, experiencing something surrounding nature: lush valleys, high
and cross country as well as downhill that looks more like an isolated lunar land- mountains, glittering lakes and a mighty
EN
skiing. Hike one of the peaks to enjoy scape than anything else, filled with strange river landscape. Älvsbyn is located by the
the midnight sun or the northern lights, formations? Or paddling a kayak under the Pite River and near the magical Storforsen
depending on the season. Enjoy world- light of the midnight light? The combination rapids, the largest unregulated rapids in
class fly fishing from the mountain area of urban lifestyle with good food and drink Northern Europe. Here you can bathe in
down to the woods. Gällivare is the and being close to nature makes Luleå pools carved by the force of water during
e4
northernmost station on the famous unique. Experiences during the day and thousands of years. There’s also a large
train journey Inlandsbanan. entertainment in the evening! car-test facility here and a test range.
www.swedishlapland.com/gallivare www.swedishlapland.com/lulea www.swedishlapland.com/alvsbyn
4 5
Photo: Carl-Johan Utsi
Swedish Lapland
– a part of the Arctic
the word arctic comes from the Greek αρκτος, Sweden, Finland and Russia, together with Iceland,
[a’rktos], bear, and the name is said to mean ’the land Greenland and Alaska. The Arctic Ocean, partly cov-
that lies under the constellation of the Great Bear ered in pack ice and drift ice, is also part of the Arctic.
(part of which is the Big Dipper)’. Around 4–5 million people live in the Arctic area,
A common misconception is that the Arctic is a and around ten per cent belong to one of the indig-
continent, just like the other pole, Antarctica. This is enous people of the Arctic: Inuits, Aleuts or Sámi.
not the case. The Arctic has no natural border towards Cultures that are over a thousand years old, but are still
the south and many definitions of the Arctic have been active and alive.
used in the past. Some have used the Arctic Circle as a When you travel to Swedish Lapland, you’re
dividing line, others use the tree line limit. effectively travelling to a part of the Arctic and you’re
During the last 20-30 years the meaning of the able to participate in the inhabitant’s Arctic lifestyle.
Arctic has been amplified and given a certain political The seasons, distances and climate have created a very
connotation as well. These days the Arctic is normally special way of life, keeping nature as the main focus.
defined as the northern parts of Canada, Norway,
Sápmi – the Sámi name
and a lot more besides!
what is sápmi? Sápmi is the land and the people, the nature and the
Sápmi is the Sámi name for the region where the reindeer, the animals and the light. The midnight sun
Sámi people have their land. Sápmi spans across four and the northern lights. The heat from the fire on a
countries – Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola sparkling winter’s day and the coolness of a moun-
Peninsula, on the Russian side. In Sweden, Sápmi cov- tain stream after a long day’s hike. Sápmi is the food
ers the northern half of the country. Sápmi is a nation and the produce. But also human rights and Sámi
without national borders, but within the area there is names. Duodji (handicraft), fishing, and Sámi tourism.
a common language, history and culture. The reindeer The flag and the Sámi colours. The wanderlust and
is intertwined with people and nature, and the roots of respect for all we see around us. Young and old. And
Sámi culture go back very far in time. everything in between.
The word Sápmi is taken from the Sámi language, Out of respect for the Sámi people who have lived
with the same origin as the word Sámi itself. You could here for generations, close to nature, leaving nothing
say that Sápmi means Sámi land as well as Sámi people. else but foot-prints behind, we don’t use commercial
The question ’What is Sápmi?’ is multi-dimensional. terminology like “the last wilderness”.
Due to the general lack of knowledge about it, there If you would like to learn more about Sápmi you
are many things that need explaining to place it in should visit some of the Sámi companies in Swedish
a context that can be easily understood. It’s almost Lapland – they are all good storytellers and keen to
impossible to answer the question ’What is Sápmi?’ in share their knowledge.
just a few sentences.
6 7
fact # 1
The northern lights
is possible to see
from the end of
August until the
end of April. Find
a place with no
artificial lights The best
and a clear sky
to enhance your
chances.
light show
in the world
in 2015, the United Nations Year of Light, Lonely
Planet listed the top ten spots for natural light phe-
nomena. Aurora Sky Station in Abisko was awarded
first place on that list. This because there is no other
place in the world where you get a better chance of
seeing the northern lights.
Taking the ski lift from Abisko up to the peak of
Nuolja is easy. On top of Nuolja, in the middle of
Abisko National Park, it is marvellously quiet and no
artificial light will interrupt your experience of the
northern lights. At the café you can enjoy an exclusive
and romantic four-course dinner taking you on a tour
through all the flavours of Lapland’s cuisine. All this
while waiting for the gods Aurora and Borea to start
the show. When Galileo Galilei gave the northern
lights their Latin name he named it after the Roman
goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek god Borea,
the unruly North Wind. A suitable name.
The northern lights, or rather: the polar light, is a
phenomenon experienced near the poles of the Earth.
Basically particles, most often electrons, accelerate
inside the Earth’s magnetosphere and then crash into
its atmosphere. Different colours signify particles
colliding with other components of the atmosphere at
different distances from the Earth’s surface.
The northern lights most typically occur in the
aurora zone between 65° and 72° north but can be seen
over a wider area. This makes the whole of Swedish
Lapland an excellent destination for seeing the
northern lights.
Kiruna is the Swedish space centre, used among
other things for polar light research.
Photo: Peter Rosén
8 9
Björkliden, photo: Marcus Alatalo
23–24/5 – 18–19/7
27–28/5 – 14–15/7
KIRUNA
31/5–1/6 – 10–11/7
The mid-
GÄLLIVARE PAJALA
4–5/6 – 6–7/7
JOKKMOKK
night sun
ARCTIC CIRCLE
ÖVERKALIX ÖVERTORNEÅ
8–9/6 – 2–3/7
ARJEPLOG HAPARANDA
12–13/6 – 28–29/6 BODEN KALIX
LULEÅ
ÄLVSBYN
SORSELE ARVIDSJAUR
PITEÅ you can see the midnight sun in sum-
SKELLEFTEÅ
mer in nearly all of Swedish Lapland.
Midnight sun means that you can see
the centre of the sun when it’s local mid-
night. At midsummer you can see the
midnight sun south of the arctic circle as
well because of the way the atmosphere
refracts the light. But even if you can’t
see the sun, you can see the light.
Up here we have midnight light 100
days per year and the summer adventure
from the Church Village in Lövånger to
the Three-Country Cairn feels endless.
The midnight light is fascinating. Imagine a night without
darkness. Imagine how much you’d be able to experience.
As Shakespeare writes in A Midsummer Night’s Dream:
“Over hill, over dale... I do wander everywhere. Swifter
than the moon’s sphere”.
S:t Petersburg is known for its white nights, but the
nights in Swedish Lapland are gold-rimmed — with a sun
that merely nudges the horizon. Where sunset and sunrise
are the same fluid movement. A never-ending summer.
10 11
Photo: Fredrik Broman/humanspectra.com
Kaamos
– the Polar
night
if you translate it directly Kaamos
means – darkness. But those who live
in the polar regions know that’s not the
case. It’s how the snow reflects blue light
in a magical way; Kaamos is the word
used for this particular light phenom-
enon. Call it the blue hour, or the blue
light, around and above the arctic circle
in December and January. Sometime
from 10 o’clock in the ‘morning’ until
three in the afternoon there is daylight.
If you look north the sky is blue. But if
you look south there is a blush along the
horizon, coloured by the sun. Around
two o’ clock every afternoon, and for
about fifteen minutes on a clear day,
there’s a strange phenomenon that we
can call the blue moment. Everything,
the snow-covered landscape as well
as the sky, is illuminated by a special,
magical blue light.
This natural phenomenon only occurs
in the Arctic and can’t be experienced
anywhere else.
fact # 2
In 2016, the Nordenskiöld race returned to
Jokkmokk after a 132-year absence. It’s the
toughest cross-country race in the world
and was first arranged April 3–4 1884. The
winner was Pavva Nilsson Tuorda who
skied 220 km, without a track, in 21 h 22 min.
Powered by coffee and cognac. The winner
in 2016, John Kristian Dahl from Norway,
did it in 8 hours, 35 minutes and 17 seconds
– but probably without cognac. Aurora Safari Camp in Lassbyn.
12 13
Photo: Andy Anderson
fact # 3
Arjeplog is Sweden’s most sparsely
Our eight inhabited municipality. If Arjeplog
and Berlin were to change pop-
ulation density there would be
seasons 52,000,000 people in Arjeplog and
a mere 178 in Berlin.
dividing the year into eight seasons is a Sámi
custom. The indigenous Sámi followed the changing
seasons and nature when they moved their reindeer
between winter and summer pastures. These days most
Sámi are more or less settled, but they still depend on
the seasons and climate. Their unique knowledge is
important in a region with stark contrasts between for
example summer and winter, where the temperature
difference some years can amount to as much as 70
degrees.
gidádálvve – spring winter
The spring winter, gidádálvve in Sámi, falls in March/
April and brings light and warmth after months of
winter. This is the time for snowmobiling on the sea Stenskär, one of
many islands in
ice, on the mountains or in the forests. Or for great the Bay of Bothnia.
skiing trips. Perhaps the greatest thing of all is to carve
yourself a snow sofa, roll out your reindeer skin, light
a fire and barbecue a couple of sausages. The spring rod. Up in the mountains the reindeer enter a much the forest and we fill our larders and freezers with all November. Reindeer hurry to graze any grass or sedges
winter spells busy times for reindeer-herding Sámi. longed-for, tranquil time, free from insects and blood- the goodness of nature to keep us through the long remaining in the forest and on marshland, where they
This is when the reindeer are moved from their winter thirsty swarms of mosquitoes. They take the opportu- winter. The evenings and nights start getting dark; can reach it even if there’s a snow cover of 10-20 cm.
pasture in the forest land or along the coast, up to the nity to graze and eat their fill in birch forests and on insects disappear and nature changes colour in the The pre-winter is also a time for slaughter. It’s mostly
mountains. It’s easier to watch over the herd there marshland. mountains. If you’re hiking you’re rewarded with beau- calves that are slaughtered in November/December. It’s
and pregnant cows get the peace and quiet they need tiful scenery all around. The autumn summer is also also the time when reindeer herds are divided into win-
giesse – summer
before giving birth. important to the reindeer, filling up on all that nature ter groups and moved to the winter grazing lands in the
In June/July the eagerly awaited warmth arrives
offers. They build up their fat reserve and muscle mass forest, and in some cases all the way down to the coast.
gidá – spring and it’s summer – giesse in Lule Sámi. We bathe on
before the approaching winter.
After spring winter comes spring and this occurs in shallow beaches, soak up the sun on flat rocks in the dálvve – winter
April and May. In Lule Sámi spring is called gidá. archipelago, enjoy one of a thousand lakes or cool our tjakta – autumn Then comes winter, dálvve, the longest of our eight sea-
This is when the ice releases its hold of the south- tired feet in a merry mountain stream. Make sure you And then autumn arrives, in September-October. In sons. It lasts from December to March. The cold grabs
ern parts of Swedish Lapland. The clear, clean water browse through the wide range of summer experiences Lule Sámi it’s called tjakta. The sun is high and it can hold of the landscape, freezing it into the most exqui-
ripples and purls. In May we see new growth on the on offer, from coast to mountain, and get recharged be nice and warm during the day even if the clear air site formations. Howling blizzards haunt the mountain
deciduous trees and early spring flowers blossom. Up before autumn and winter. Summer is a hectic time of tells us it’s autumn. Despite the frosty nights there are regions, forests and coastlines. You have to dress with
in the mountains the nights are still cold, but temper- year for the Sámi communities. The reindeer have con- still mushrooms and berries available, at least in the care if you’re spending time outdoors. Layers and layers,
atures are pleasant during the day – the conditions for tinued up onto the high mountains to escape insects beginning of September. Autumn is also hunting time, with wool nearest your body and ideally a thick down
snowmobiling and skiing are still excellent. The first and heat. It’s also time to brand the calves and families with the traditional elk hunt. It’s another hectic time jacket to keep the heat in. In Swedish Lapland we
reindeer calves are born and take their first stumbling gather to help. Often the branding is done during light for reindeer herders. The reindeer mostly graze in the love the outdoor activities winter brings: snow-shoe
steps, watched over by their mothers. and cool summer nights. The herders in the forest low mountains and towards the middle of September, walking, snowmobile driving, skiing and ice-fishing.
land tend to stick to the forest all year round. They just before they rut, it’s time to slaughter the steers, Nature offers up amazing shows and on a clear evening
gidágiesse – spring summer
have an old trick they still use when branding calves in and any calves missed during summer are branded. or night you might be regaled with blazing northern
In June the summer nights become lighter and spring
summer: lighting bonfires using moss creates a lot of lights. During winter the reindeer in the winter groups
becomes pre-summer, or spring summer, gidágiesse tjaktjadálvve – pre-winter, or autumn winter
smoke, keeping insects away from animals and people. are looked after daily, but the reindeer graze freely,
as its known in Lule Sámi. Verdancy takes over and Pre-winter makes its entrance in November-Decem-
mostly lichen. The reindeer is adapted to Arctic climate
nature literally explodes This time of year marks the tjaktjagiesse – autumn summer ber. Days get shorter and nature changes colour to
and can store both water and energy when it gets cold.
beginning of the hiking and biking season. We switch In August comes autumn summer, tjaktjagiesse as it’s white as the snow comes to stay. The ski enthusiasts
the ice-fishing rod for a spinning rod, or fly-fishing called in Lule Sámi. Berries and mushrooms ripen in wait for trails and slopes to open, sometimes as early as
14 15
Photo: Cody Duncan
Heritage
for the
world
a world heritage is an area,
place or building so valuable
that it must be preserved for the
future. Such as pyramids, barrier
reefs, the Grand Canyon – and
in Swedish Lapland: Laponia,
the church town of Gammelstad
and the Struve geodetic arc.
UNESCO selects world
heritage sites based on nomi-
nations. 2019 there were 1,092
world heritage sites, 15 of them
in Sweden.
The beautiful Rapa Valley
in Sarek National park.
LAPONIA THE CHURCH TOWN OF GAMMELSTAD THE STRUVE GEODETIC ARC
cc Bamse (CC BY-SA 30)
The large forests, mountains, glaciers and Gammelstad outside Luleå is the largest beginning of the 17th century the town had In the beginning of the 19th century the German-
Photo: Carl-Johan Utsi
vast marshlands were inscribed as a world Naturum Laponia
preserved church town in northernmost developed into a church town and received Russian astronomer Wilhelm von Struve decided
heritage in 1996. Laponia is also the land Sweden, and also the only one were two trading privileges. The church cottages to use triangulation to establish the exact shape
of the Sámi and the reindeer. kinds of wooden towns are combined: the were mixed with those that were inhabited and size of the Earth. The measurements marked
Every year the mountain Sámi move in church town and the burgher town. all year round in the church town. an important step forward for science and the
and out of the world heritage to take the From the 14th century Gammelstad Today the church village is a living development of topographic mapping.
reindeer to their different grazing areas. was a market place and the centre of a community where the cottages are mostly Struve carried out his measurements along a
In the forest region the Sámi live all year parish that at times consisted of nearly the used during the confirmation festival at 2,821 km long stretch between 1816 and 1855
round and use the marshes to let the entire Norrbotten county of today. At the midsummer. and through them he could show that latitudes are
reindeer cool off. longer in Scandinavia than by the equator. This
Laponia is a living world heritage. If you proved that the Earth isn’t a perfect sphere, but
know what to look for you can see how man FACTS: rather an oblate spheroid, because the sphere is
and nature have influenced each other. FACTS: squashed by the poles as the Earth spins and the
The paths all take the most advantageous • 520 culture-historically valuable
• Became a world heritage in1996. mass is pulled towards the equator.
Photo: Peter Rosén / LapplandMedia
routes and along them you find fireplaces and protected buildings, of which
• The world heritage consists of Sarek, 405 are church cottages. 34 of the 265 observation points have been on
as beads on a string. The best tent sites Padjelanta, Stora Sjöfallet and Muddus the world heritage list since 2005.
are often lusciously green meadows where national parks, as well as the nature • The unique environment consists
the reindeer were milked. reserves Sjávnja and Stubbá. The of the 15th-century stone church
An easy way of experiencing the world areas Tjuoldavuobme, Ráhpaäno with surrounding church cottages, FACTS:
heritage is to visit the Naturum Laponia sourgudahka and Sulidäbmá are also a medieval network of streets • It runs through ten countries: Norway, Sweden,
Visitor Centre on Viedásnjárgga in the included. and buildings stemming from the Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus,
Stuor Muorkke national park. It is a visitor • Laponia is approx. 9,400 square kilo- 17th-century burgher town. Moldova and Ukraine.
centre for the entire world heritage fea- metres, a bit larger than Cyprus. • World heritage since 1996. • There are seven station points in Sweden and four of them are on the world heritage list.
turing a large exhibition, café, lecture hall, www.laponia.nu www.lulea.se/gammelstad • The points are marked by drilled holes in rock, iron crosses, cairns or obelisks.
guided tours and so on.
16 17
A sought-after
cold bath
few hotel openings have been so long-awaited as Arctic Bath in
Harads. A floating boutique hotel on the Lule River, designed for
the world’s travellers and SPA dwellers.
The history behind Arctic Bath goes a little like this: Late one
evening – actually during the inaugural party at the nearby Tree-
hotel ten years ago – one of the partners said to architect Bertil
Harström: ”you should make a floating sauna on the river”.
The partner was thinking it would give the guests at Treehotel
something to do. The floating sauna stayed in Bertil’s head for sure,
even if it took a few years to start sketching it. But once he started
drawing, he really went for it and together with designers Johan
Kauppi and Annkathrin Lundqvist he created a cold bath non
paralleled. The “floating sauna” became a design hotel and spa close
to the Arctic circle, with its ever changing seasons. Bertil found his
inspiration in the nearby forest, and the log driving of old.
The hotel is for those who want to enjoy a sauna and a cold bath,
tasty food, and tranquillity. The food here is based on local produce,
of course. The spa works with Kerstin Florian’s philosophy and
products – also with their origin in the Arctic environment. This
is a fun-filled project with its roots in classic Scandinavian design.
The cold bath itself remains the heart of the hotel, because even if
this did not exactly become an ordinary floating sauna, the central
themes are sauna, spa, cold baths and good life.
arcticbath.se
The 12-room floating hotel
is constructed using local
materials and with very little
impact on the environment,
there is a flotilla of six floating
cabins for couples near the
water’s edge, offering private
access from the shore via
Photo: Daniel Holmgren
a foot bridge and outside
wooden decks. There are also
six larger, elevated cabins
built on the tree-lined shore.
18 19ICEHOTEL, photo: Asaf Kliger
fact # 4
Swedish Lapland offers
a long winter season,
of course. The first
snow comes already
in the end of October,
Ice all year round letting cross-country
and downhill skiers start
enjoying their skiing. And
icehotel in jukkasjärvi has been an iconic place to visit for trave- the classic Midsummer
lers around the world for 30 years. But until recently, this attraction Skiing in Riksgränsen is
has only been available during the local winter season. In December
something you just have
2016, ICEHOTEL inaugurated the new concept ICEHOTEL 365,
which provides guests with an experience of winter and ice during
to experience. Skiing in
365 days of the year. the middle of the night,
ICEHOTEL 365 is a specially designed 2,100 square metre ice but in daylight.
art hall, which houses 21 suites, including 9 luxury suites, an ice bar,
an ice sculpture gallery and an event hall that runs on solar power
from the midnight sun.
The midnight sun plays a big part in ICEHOTEL 365, not just
as an attraction, but more as a necessity to make the facility available
year round in a sustainable way. Solar panels provide ICEHOTEL
365 with enough energy to keep the rooms frozen even during the
height of summer.
ICEHOTEL continues to be a world attraction during winter,
under the dancing northern lights. Every year, the seasonal edition
of the hotel, with additional 37 rooms, will be constructed – offering
stunning ephemeral art and design during the winter season.
www.icehotel.com
ICEHOTEL, photo: Asaf Kliger
ICEHOTEL, photo: Asaf Kliger
Rhythm of the Arctic, design Shingo Art Suite Ground Rules. Design
Saito and Natsuki Saito. Carl Wellander and Ulrika Tallving.
20 21Photo: Erik Nissen Johansen
An award-winning
hotel dream
an old abandoned industrial ruin from the beginning of the 20th
century has become one of the coolest, best-looking hotels in Swedish
Lapland. Niehku Mountain Villa in Riksgränsen used the ruins of an
old railway depot to build an award-winning boutique hotel for dis-
cerning adventure and gastronomy travelers from all around the world.
Niehku Mountain Villa and the Swedish design agency Stylt received
UNESCO’s award Prix Versailles for the world’s best interior in the
hotel category 2019.
Niehku is the North Sámi name for dream, and in many ways Niehku
is a dream come true. Naturally for the guests but also for the founders
behind the project. They are all Riksgränsen veterans who love skiing,
design and wine. One is a mountain guide, others are builders and
architects. Another founder is the only person in Sweden to be awarded
Sommelier of the Year twice. Something that of course laid a good plat-
form for the glazed wine cellar built into one of the deep lubrication pits
of the depot, now located right in the centre of the restaurant.
The philosophy is to provide a flawless experience with perfect
mountain activities during the day, then pamper the guests at the hotel
in the evening. Good food is served to happy adventurers and what
makes Niehku’s kitchen even more exciting is the proximity to the
Norwegian sea – the seafood delicacies are as close as the wild flavours
of the mountain.
niehku.com
Niehku, photo David Carlier
Photo: Mattias Fredriksson
22 23Photo: Johan Jansson
Live amongst
the tree tops
what started with a film featuring a small wooden hut in the
forest has become a cool hotel. These days Treehotel in Harads is
considered one of the world’s major travel destinations.
The year was 2008. Kent and Britta were running Brittas Pen-
sionat in Harads, what is now Treehotel Guesthouse. Kent joined
some of Sweden’s most well-known architects on a fishing trip
where they discussed a documentary they had just seen on Swedish
television. The film, The Tree Lover by Jonas Selberg Augustsén, is
about a young man who wants to escape the summer in the city and
build a tree house by the Lule River instead. Around the campfire
that evening they had an idea: they would all design one tree hut
each, and those huts would be the framework of a new hotel. And
that’s what happened. When Kent returned home he bought the
land around his guest house, and construction could begin. The old
guest house actually adds to the experience. As you travel the road
through the forest, from a classic guest house to a cool tree house,
a change takes place.
Once the idea had been put out there at the campfire and began The 7th room, design Jenny Osuldsen at
Snøhetta. Snøhetta has designed, among
to take shape, the investment in Treehotel was about design, first other things, the Opera in Oslo, the MoMa-
and foremost. Some of the most famous architectural firms in extension in San Francisco, and the classic
library in Alexandria. And now a house
Sweden designed the first five rooms among the beautiful pine trees among the tree tops in Harads as well.
in Harads: SandellSandberg, Cyrén & Cyrén and Tham & Vidgård.
Bertil Harström at Inredningsgruppen also designed two rooms, as
Photo: Treehotel
Photo: Fredrik Broman/humanspectra.com
Photo: Treehotel
well as the facilities needed to make it an exciting hotel. Because we
all know that no modern hotel in the north comes without a sauna
and a spa. The Finnish architect Sami Rintala, from the agency
Rintala Eggertsson, designed the sixth room called Dragonfly before
Jenny Osuldsen at Snøhetta designed the 7th room – a room that
takes the hotel to new heights, as the seventh room is suspended ten
meters up in the air. Among the canopies, almost at the height of
the strongest northern lights in winter or the eternal midnight light
in summer, new and returning guests are welcomed.
www.treehotel.se
Just to name a few, Treehotel was named one of the world’s best
travel destinations by Time Magazine 2018 and was awarded first
place in National Geographic Traveller’s Design Den category a few
years prior to that. The hotel has also received Mr & Mrs Smith’s The Mirrorcube,
award as “Best Family Hotel”. The latter might not be so strange. Interior from The Dragonfly, The Cabin, design design Bolle Tham
The 7th room can easily sleep five people ten metres above ground, design Sami Rintala. Mårten Cyrén & Gustav Cyrén. & Martin Videgård.
and also: what child wouldn’t want to sleep in a UFO or a bird’s nest?
24 25Photo: Andy Anderson
Islands in
the stream
the bothnian bay archipelago is unique.
The elevation of the land, the brackish
water, the shallow water and the smooth,
flat rocks, the endemic plants and the
meeting of different habitats make our
archipelago special.
The elevation of the land – a metre
every hundred years – has a great impact
on the 300 km long coastline. New land
is continuously formed, and the new land,
the sea meadows, are ideal for Euphrasia
bottnica and Deschampsia bottnica. They
are plants you can only find here – in
the only archipelago where the brackish
water contains less than two per cent
salt. It’s home to salt water fish as well as
typical fresh water fish. Here you’ll find
forest-dwelling birds as well as seabirds.
A large part of the outer archipelago
is very similar to the habitat you’d find
in the mountain region. You can hunt
grouse and find chanterelles here the
same way you’d do in the mountains.
In summer regular boat rides take
you out to many of the islands in the
Bothnian Bay archipelago. There are
hostels, cabins and picnic areas as well as
saunas and barbecue spots. In winter ice
freezes around the islands and they can
be accessed on ice roads and snowmobile
tracks. The Bothnian Bay archipelago
bids you plenty of exquisite flavours. Ka-
lix vendace roe – the gold of the sea – is
the first Swedish delicacy given the status
Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)
by the EU, the same protection as award-
ed Stilton cheese, Champagne and Parma
ham. Salmon built much of the wealth
found along the coast. The city Luleå was
built using money that came from the
salmon in the river, and so was Uppsala
University! There’s also fermented Baltic
Sea herring for those who dare. Huvön, one of
many islands in the
Bay of Bothnia.
26 27Swedish Lapland
in numbers
86%
increase in turnover
4562
employed 2019:
2010–2019
annual work units
KIRUNA Source: TEM
Source: TEM
PAJALA
GÄLLIVARE what the visitors spend
Sweden's their money on (2019):
northernmost
destination
JOKKMOKK
Provi-
sions Restaurant
4.066.000
25%
11 % 19%
ÖVERKALIX ÖVERTORNEÅ
guest nights 2019
Accommo-
ARJEPLOG dation
KALIX 21% Trans-
BODEN portation
HAPARANDA 17 % +5% compared to 2017.
SORSELE ARVIDSJAUR
ÄLVSBYN LULEÅ Shopping Activity +44% compared to 2010. Source: TEM
25 % 7%
of Sweden's total PITEÅ
area, which is larger
34%
Source: TEM
SKELLEFTEÅ
than Austria!
total tax revenues
The tourism industry is one of the largest industries
741.000.000
sek during 2019 Source: TEM
international
guest nights 2019
Source: SCB
in the world. Global growth 4% during 2015. Growth
Forecast: Global increase 3% per year up to 2030.
Source: UNWTO, United Nations World Travel Organisation Turnover in
billion SEK
8 Goal
8,2
Turnover
81 million
7
6
4,1 billions
billions
people in 5
4
2019
Turnover
11 countries 3
7,6 the goal swedish
would like to 2 billions lapland has set
is to double the
visit Sweden. 1
År
turnover within
the tourist industry
between 2010–2020.
Source: VisitSweden, Besöksnäringens målgruppsguide 2000 2010 2020
28 29Quirky facts The organisation Swedish Lapland
#5 Arjeplog has so many hotel rooms #12 In 2018, Emilie Forsberg set a new #19 There are more than 300 words in swedish lapland visitors board is the official The EU funding entails information obligations, it
that all the municipal inhabitants record (FKT) on the Kungsleden Sámi dialects to describe different
could check in to a hotel room each Trail. Emelie Forsberg completed types of snow. representative for the tourist industry in the region must be clearly stated that project activities are partly
– if they have a night out – at the the 450 km trail in 4 days and Swedish Lapland. Through a cooperative platform funded by the EU.
same time. 21 hours. Normally you hike this #20 Global heating. Kebnekaise/ Gieb- focused on businesses it supports the industry by com- This is made visible by using the EU logo. If it can’t
trail in 20+ days and few people megáisi is Sweden’s highest peak.
#6 Johan Abram Persson from do all of it in one go. The massif consists of two peaks: mercialising the international and domestic demand for be used, in text and other editorial content, the expres-
Arjeplog won the Vasa Ski Race in north and south. All these years the sub-arctic products and experiences the destination sion ’this project is f inanced by the European Regional
1929. The Thursday prior to the #13 Sorsele has the most reindeer the south peak has been the higher
competition he went from Arjeplog per capita in Sweden. Sven Gösta one. There’s a glacier on top of it. has to offer. Development Fund’ can replace the EU logo.
to the train station in Jörn (160 Jonsson, known as the Sámi Rocker, During the heat wave in summer This is done through, among other things, the This information obligation is applied to all material
km). The Saturday he skied from had his breakthrough with the song 2018, the difference between the
Mora to Sälen (90 km), then he ’At the Foot of the Mountain’ in north and south peak shifted and project ’Business Capacity Development in Swedish produced and financed by the project, entirely or
raced the same way back to Mora 1959. He was ahead of Elvis and the north peak, at 2,097 metres Lapland’, helping small- and medium-sized businesses partly. Adverts, space in printed media or on the web,
the next day – that being the very Tommy Steele on the hit lists. above sea level, became the high- to enhance their competitiveness. The project priori- recorded material with sound and/or picture, exhibi-
race he won. After that he took the est peak in Sweden. Depending on
train to Jörn and went back home #14 In Gällivare you’ll find Sweden’s coming years weather conditions, tises support helping them to grow on a domestic and tion material, distributed documentation, news letters
to Arjeplog. That’s more than 500 longest cul-de-sac. From the E45, time will tell if the south peak can international market, as well as innovation processes. and editorial content.
kilometres on skis in just a few days. also known as Via Lappia, towards build up its glacier part and once
Stora Sjöfallet and Ritsem, where again become Sweden’s highest The project is funded by all 16 municipalities, If the logos of other financiers are used the EU logo
#7 Dundret is the name of the moun- the road ends, it’s 141 kilometres. peak. Region Norrbotten, Region Västerbotten and the must be at least as big as the others.
tain in the middle of Gällivare town.
The peak sits 824 metres above #15 The folklore museum area in Gäll- #21 The Torne Valley has been called
European Regional Development Fund.
sea level and in clear weather you ivare features Sweden’s northern- the most peaceful border in the
can see 1/11 part of Sweden from most windmill, constructed during world. Perhaps that’s not too
the top. The entire mountain is a the 1860s. surprising. The people here see
We have designed logos with the Swedish Lapland logo and
nature reserve and protected since the area as their own country.
the EU logo. Those logos are available in Swedish, English and
1970. With the new six-chair lift it #16 The son of Kiruna, the NHL pro One river, two countries, three
German.
takes four minutes to reach the top. Börje Salming, has more than 600 languages, four cultures, you could
Please note that the measurements in the name of the logo
scars on his body. He had more say, somewhat carelessly. If you
must be respected as minimum size in order to adhere to the
#8 In Kiruna there are 1,500 km than 300 stitches in his face at can’t get enough of the New Year’s
graphic profile of the EU and for the information obligation to
signposted snowmobile trails and one occasion. That’s the price you celebration it’s the perfect place
be considered fulfilled.
8,000 snowmobiles. There are also pay to get elected to the ’Team of to open up a bottle of bubbly. First
3,425 dogs and 2,464 dog owners the Century’ together with Tretjak, in Finland, then in Sweden. Two
among the 23,000 inhabitants in Fetisov, Makarov, Charlamov and New Year toasts with an hour in be-
the municipality. Gretsky. On the other hand, Börje tween. Making the same resolutions
Salming has no problems with his twice isn’t compulsory.
#9 Lake Rissajaure (Troll Lake) in knees.
the valley Kärkevagge between #22 The elevation of the land by the
Björkliden and Riksgränsen has #17 The first national parks in Sweden Bothnian Bay is almost a centimetre
the greatest water transparency were created as early as in 1909. per year, one of the fastest rising
measured in any Swedish lake: 34 Nowadays there are eight national landmasses in the world. This is
metres. That’s the depth of the lake; parks inside Swedish Lapland: part of a geological recovery that Exempel: SweLap_EU_eng_77mm.eps Exempel: SweLap_EU_sv_36mm.eps
if it were deeper perhaps it would Abisko, Vadvetjåkka, Stora Sjö- has been taking place since the Ice
be even more. fallet, Muddus, Padjelanta, Sarek, Age when the inland ice lay thick
Pieljekaise and the Haparanda above the region around the Arctic
#10 Jan Boklöv from Koskullskulle Archipelago. Circle. This gives the Bothnian Bay
changed ski jumping forever when archipelago more and more islands,
he introduced the V-style in 1985. #18 As many as 60,000 to 100,000 with time!
Jan Boklöv was awarded the
Jerring prize in 1989 after winning
the ski jumping world cup, in spite
of the Norwegian chairman of the
International Ski Federation calling
salmons ascend the Torne River
every summer on their way to the
spawning grounds. It’s calculated
that more than 2 million salmon fry
(smolt) leave the Torne River yearly.
#23 Outside Älvsbyn you find the
Storforsen Rapids, the largest
unregulated rapids in northern
Europe with a drop of 82 metres
Image Bank
swedish lapland visitors board has a web-based e-mail us at press@swedishlapland.com. Please provide
his style ’unethical’. That makes the Torne River one of in 5 kilometres. For thousands of
the most productive salmon rivers years, rocks, water and friction image bank where you can find photos to use in media a name and e-mail address, which media organisation
#11 On a summer’s day in 1924 Hugo, in the world. have created a fairytale landscape or commercially. There’s a wide range of images from or company you work for, and the reason why you’d
Josef and Tyko dug trenches in of wild canyons and huge basins.
a bog near Kalvträsk outside Swedish Lapland and the region available and the like to access the images. Also please state in what
Skellefteå – and found what turned number keeps growing. To get login details and access, context the pictures will be used.
out to be the oldest pair of skis in
the world, 5,200 years old. Older
than the pyramids in Egypt and the
hanging gardens of Babylon.
30 31Follow us!
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twitter: @SwedishLapland
Hashtags:
#swedishlapland
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Swedish Lapland Visitors Board • 200301
Contact us if you need more information!
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